The Pentagon has approached SpaceX regarding the purchase of Starship space launch vehicles for sensitive, high-risk missions, the company has said. At present, the U.S. government relies on non-military contractors to launch payloads for various operations, including satellite launches, and does not have its own space launch vehicles — at least any that are disclosed — which it could deploy in a potential contingency scenario. SpaceX is already working with the Air Force and Space Force on the ‘Rocket Cargo’ program, which seeks to rapidly deliver cargo, and possible personnel, anywhere on Earth that can support a landing.
Aviation Week was the first to report on the DoD’s interest in Starship, following comments made by a SpaceX official at the Space Mobility Conference in Orlando, Florida on January 30.
SpaceX’s complete ‘Starship’ system, as The War Zone has highlighted in the past, comprises a super-heavy rocket booster and spacecraft. Starship — which will be capable of landing vertically — constitutes the largest, and most powerful, rocket ever flown, according to the company, and is reportedly capable of carrying up to 150 metric tons while being fully reusable. Eventually, SpaceX intends for its Starship system to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars, but it is still in relatively early flight test development.
Hellbound and Down 